


The Messenger Knights

by For_honor_and_glory (The_5th_Witch)



Category: The Letter for the King (TV)
Genre: Don't worry - no buried gays in this one, Fix-It of Sorts, Fuck Canon, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-02-22 23:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23302006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_5th_Witch/pseuds/For_honor_and_glory
Summary: When Tiuri leaves the chapel to go help the Black Knight, Foldo comes along - and where Foldo goes Jussipo follows. Of course, Iona won't stand being left alone with Arman. That said, do you really believe that Arman would enjoy being by himself in a dark chapel in the middle of the night? No, I don't believe that either.
Relationships: Foldo/Jussipo (The Letter for the King)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 122





	1. Storm Clouds Gather

It was supposed to be their final challenge. An easy one, for a change. _The Sepulchre of the Lost_. Sure, a scary name, but how difficult could it be to sit still in an old chapel for a mere twelve hours?

_You will not talk._

That had gone fantastic. Well, until the candlelights went out and Arman opened his mouth to ask a quiet "What was that?"

"I don't know." It was Foldo who answered him, followed by a loud hush from Iona. 

"Can we light them?" Jussipo would never admit that he was becoming a bit frightened at that point. 

"No, we can't light them. Ristridin told us not to move." 

Irritated, Iona spoke up: "Ristridin told us to _shut_ _up_."

_You will not move._

For a second it was quiet amongst them. Then Arman chose to leave his seat, insisting that he should light one. As he stood up, ready to move for the candles, there was a loud banging on the doors. He fell right back into his seat - dreading that it was Ristridin or someone else coming to check on them. 

Everyone sat stunned but the banging continued. "Open the door!" they heard from outside. It was a man's voice, one they had never heard before. Was this a test for them? 

"Please! You have to help me!" The man continued banging on the door. Worried looks went around the group. "Open the door!"

For the first time, Tiuri spoke up. "What do we do?"

Foldo looked conflicted. "It could be a test."

"The Grey Riders, the could be out there-" Jussipo started but was quickly interrupted by Arman. "They could be watching us, waiting to see if we break the vigil."

Tiuri continued, annoyed at how the others wanted to ignore it so badly. "But supposing it isn't? Supposing it's someone who really needs help?"

"Then he's come to the wrong place, hasn't he?" Arman spat out.

"Fail the vigil, and you know what we face." Iona acted as if they had no choice, and in a way they didn't. 

The others continued, stating why it was a bad idea and everything of the sort. Tiuri couldn't stand it. Perhaps it was the fact that he wasn't as keen on the idea of becoming a knight - the fact that he didn't have nearly as much to lose as the others.

When the man banged on the doors and begged for help once again - he stood up and went to open them. 

_You will not - under any circumstances - leave this chapel._

Iona and Arman did their best to try and stop him but Tiuri wouldn't listen. He couldn't sit still when someone needed help that he could provide. The relieved look on the old man's face as he saw the novices only convinced Tiuri that he'd made the right choice. 

Much of the old man's rambling didn't give them much, but the desperate "He's dying" gave the novices an uneasiness unlike what they'd felt before. First, they said that they couldn't leave. Then, Tiuri promised that he'd be quick. _Fine_ , Iona thought, _he'll be back and no one will notice_. Only, he didn't go alone. 

As Tiuri had taken the first step, Foldo looked back to Jussipo with an apologetic smile before he made his way to go after him. Jussipo was conflicted but something told him that not going with Foldo now was something that he'd regret. 

Three were gone and Iona cursed, loudly. Then she sighed and started to make her way back to the bench. 

"Ugh, fools, this was obviously a test. Don't worry, my father will obviously make us knights either way."

She sighed again. No, she was not going to be left alone with _Arman_. That was one thing she wouldn't tolerate. Hastily, without answering Arman's calls after her, she ran out of the chapel, hurrying after the others.

Arman groaned in disbelief. "Damn this." 

And so they where five novices that had broken the vigil.

“The red riders, they caught up with us!” the man told them as he led them through the dark woods. They arrived at a small camp. A fire, two horses, and a man clad in armour laying against a tree. He looked to be a knight.

“I’m here, master,” the old man said as he went to him. The novices kept their distance at first. 

“I’m dying, Vokia. I’ll be dead within the hour. His men won’t be far.” 

The old man, Vokia, turned to Tiuri and the others and gestured for them to move closer. “Come over here, come. Come, come.” 

As the knight glanced up at them, three boys just over fifteen years old, he sighed.  “Seriously? This is the help you brought me?” 

They backed a step, or two. “Um, we’ll…” 

Before Tiuri could finish his sentence, the knight caught his shirt and brought him in closer. Foldo and Jussipo were quick to ready themselves, preparing to help their fellow novice if the knight did something. Despite the seemingly aggressive behaviour, the knight didn't seem to have any malintent. 

“Take this letter, take it." He looked to all of them as he said it. "You must deliver it to King Favian in Unawen. Do you understand?"

They nodded slightly. "My ring too, as proof that you’re bringing it from me. The future, the entire kingdom depends on it, not just Unauwen. Dagonaut too.”

“We can’t,” Tiuri said. He'd promised to be quick about it. He had his mother and stepfather depending on him to honour the vigil and the chance he'd been given.

“By the next full moon, it will be too late.”   


“That’s in 14 days!” Jussipo exclaimed.  “Unauwen’s 1000 miles from here, it’s not possible.”

“Yes, it is," Vokia put in. "On Ardanwen! although, you might want to get another horse, or two." The old man thought about it for a second.  “Here, give me the letter, come, come."

“We’ll go to Dagonaut, we’ll get help,” Foldo said as Vokia started to fiddle with the saddlebags of one of the horses. 

“You don’t understand. No one can be trusted. Take the letter, get on Ardanwen, and go.”

“Why can’t he do it?” Tiuri asked - he was scared at this point. 

“What, that old fool? He’s even weaker than I am. He wouldn’t even make it out of the forest.” 

The knight sighed once more. “It has to be you.”

He looked to be in grave pain now. “Swear to me, you will tell no one… and you will get it to the king. Swear it!”

“We swear."

The three boys looked back to see Iona standing behind them. Out of all of them, she looked most confident. When the others stared at her in disbelief, she groaned at their stupidity. "We've already broken the vigil, what choice do we have? Can't show ourselves in Dagonaut after this."

Arman, who'd just caught up with her, was ready to argue with her but the voices in the distance made them all quiet down. "It's them. The red riders. Go!"

As the knight and his squire readied their blades, the novices started to run. They took the two horses and didn't look back until they could hear the screams of battle. 

_Failure by one of you will mean failure for all._

The night had gone so wrong. None of what happened had been supposed to happen. They couldn't do anything about it now. 

"We'll go get horses, supplies, a map, and then we run," Iona decided for them. 

"We have to tell someone!" Tiuri insisted. 

Iona shook her head. "Didn't you hear him? We can't tell anyone. We go in while the sky's still dark and we disappear, that's the route we've chosen now."


	2. Wretched nights and bastard brothers

It was still dark when they reached the city of Dagonaut. They knew that in there, somewhere, their parents were asleep, waiting for the morning to come. Or rather, waiting to hear that their children would become knights of Dagonaut. _How disappointed they will be_ , Iona thought. No matter how childish and immature the boys were, they did have a lot of pressure on them. A weight on their shoulders that Iona knew that she would never understand. 

"We meet here," Iona told them. "Half an hour, no longer. If you tell _anyone_ , I will personally make sure that that's the last person you'll ever talk to." Her threat was real, that much was crystal clear.

She was the only one of them with no family to speak of. No one that would be worrying for her when the morning came and it was discovered that they were gone. No one that would be raging when they were finished with the quest - lecturing her on how stupid it all was. No one to cry when she got home and pull her into a hug. Yet, she was the most motivated out of all of them. Becoming a knight had been her goal since forever and it was still something she intended to achieve. If they did this, perhaps Ristridin and the Queen could forgive them for breaking the vigil and let them start over. It was better than nothing - and she didn't need a family for that. 

Splitting up at this point may not have been the greatest idea, Iona realised, but at least she could keep her eye on Arman. If there was anyone who would rat them out it would be him with that father of his. Foldo was sent to get supplies with Tiuri. The two of them were no doubt the most softhearted of their group, it was a gamble to send them away with that mission, but she had no choice. Jussipo had claimed that he had something incredibly important to fetch. Iona was suspicious, of course, but she trusted Jussipo far more than she did Arman. 

And she would need someone a little less chivalrous to help her get horses. 

Jussipo was, of course, aware that Iona would rage the second she saw what the _incredibly important_ item, that he'd spent a good ten minutes convincing her that he needed, was. He knew that someone like Iona had no sense for the great arts and something told him that it was a huge risk to bring it. Someone might throw it in a bush or something. Not that he'd ever let that happen to his dear lute.

Piak had once stolen it, a few months back, and tried to sell it for some sweets. Claimed that it was a joke, not that Jussipo believed him. His little brother was a chaotic spirit - one could not trust him about anything. That was the last time Jussipo let anyone, other than himself, near his lute. Piak, especially, was not allowed to touch it. Who knew what he might do to it if he left it with him now? 

It went smoothly, mostly. He might have accidentally strummed it a couple of times and possibly - _very_ _unlikely_ \- he might have woken someone up. There had been a silent "who's there" from the bed-chamber as he searched for his dear instrument. Not that anyone had noticed that it was _him._ Or so he hoped. 

He had his lute, though, and that was what mattered. 

Foldo and Tiuri made their way through the city in silence. It was... awkward. They'd made stops here and there, searching every corner and alley for things they could take. Things left outside, things that had been forgotten, things that wouldn't be missed. Neither of the two said it, but they knew that this wasn't what Iona had intended for them to do. She wanted them to steal. To break into some storage or shed and bring things that actually were needed.

So far, they'd only gathered a dozen half-bad apples, a stale loaf of bread and some rope. It was disappointing. 

"Should we, perhaps... and I'm only suggesting this, I normally wouldn't, because we have no other choice-" Foldo started after a while. He realised that he was rambling again like he normally did in awkward situations, but he had no way of stopping it. The other novices were all loud, speaking their mind whenever they wanted to and doing it clearly - not Foldo. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk, he just found it hard to make himself heard around the others. 

So when he actually got the chance, he had a bad habit of saying more words than intended. 

"... take something that isn't ours?" Tiuri completed the sentence for him. "We don't have a choice, do we?"

Foldo let out the breath, the anxiety, he was holding with a sorrowful sigh. "I don't think so, no."

"You're kidding me." Iona was, just as Jussipo had expected, outraged. " _That_ is the incredibly important item? The item we _surely_ couldn't survive without? The one that _surely_ would help us on our quest?" 

There was a mix of disbelief and anger in her face. Jussipo could be wrong, but he was almost certain that the main emotion within Iona at the moment was not actually the wrath she acted on but instead complete confusion as to what motivated him to bring-

"A _lute_?!"

Her voice was a bit louder than intended and way too loud for someone supposed to be on a stealthy mission. "Are you daft?"

"Iona, we are knights on a quest! Someone needs to document our travels," Jussipo exclaimed. 

The was a short silence where Iona just stared at him, right into his soul, as if it would help make sense of the situation. Then she just turned around and started walking away from him, two horses in hand. Jussipo didn't know what to make of it. Something about it made him feel offended, but he wasn't too sure if that was the point or not. 

"Did she just-" Jussipo stopped himself. Creased brows, eyes blinking a couple of times, one or two faces made. His eyes met Arman's, filled with astonishment and a touch of hurt pride. "Did she just... brush me off? You saw it too, didn't you Arman?" 

The other boy looked as tired as Iona had. Annoyed as well. Had it not been in the middle of the night - had they not been in a hurry and on the run - he might have done something about the long-haired boy. Like thrown him in the mud or something. 

"I don't know what to say-" 

"Jussipo, just take a horse," Arman sighed. 

As the group gathered again, outside of the city, the first thing they did was to distribute the supplies between the five horses. A couple of bedrolls, some cooking tools, food for a few days, a couple of mediocre swords as well as a crossbow. It was actually more than Iona had thought they would gather. She would have praised them if it wasn't for their guilty-looking faces. Obviously, they already felt ashamed for something that would probably save their lives. 

Before they headed off, Iona reminded them that they were hunted - that those riders from before, whether they were the Red Riders or not, were still after them. It was as if a huge bubble of happiness and calm popped when she said it. Everything that had happened was real. 

For what felt like hours, they rode west through the Blue Forest. They could've taken the First Great Road to the West, sure, it would have been faster and easier, but no one was too keen on riding in the open like that. Every bird that took off or wolf that howled already made them worry. Looks going back and forth between where they were going and the sounds around them. Tiuri had been the one to take Ardanwen since he was the only one that the horse didn't - immediately at least - throw off. 

When they finally decided to make camp the paranoia had faded a little and even Iona agreed that they couldn't continue any longer. Soon the sun was going to rise and even just a couple hours of sleep in the darkness would be appreciated. 

Foldo and Arman were tasked with caring for the horses as the others figured out how to light a fire big enough to give warmth but small enough to not attract any unwanted attention. Considering that the novices were complete strangers to them, the horses were strangely calm. The only one that was hard to care for was Ardanwen.

"Where did you get these horses?" Foldo was only trying to make conversation - he'd never really spoken to Arman before. They were from different parts of Dagonaut so before the games, he'd known little to none about him. 

"Does it matter?" Arman's tone didn't invite any further discussion. 

"I- I suppose it doesn't." 

Foldo sighed and thought about it. Perhaps Arman wasn't at all pleased with the situation - even less than the others were. Iona was bitter but probably believed that completing this quest would bring her some form of fortune. Tiuri did it because of the sheer goodness of his heart. Jussipo... well, Foldo wasn't really sure why Jussipo had joined them but he wasn't about to complain. Foldo himself knew that delivering the letter was the right thing to do so he tried to just accept the situation. Of course, there was this fear and worry that came with it all. He'd never been very far outside the city of Dagonaut and certainly not over in Unauwen. Jussipo probably felt the same - they'd both grown up in the capital. 

Then again, when Arman glanced back to where they'd come from, his eyes weren't filled with longing but something else. Foldo had noticed it despite how Arman desperately tried to hide it. Muttered that he thought he thought he'd heard something, that a squirrel or fox had run by him. Maybe the things waiting for him back home weren't the same as for Foldo and the others. Maybe Arman didn't wish to go home for his eyes showed only a mix of fear and shame when he looked toward the capital. 

Tiuri awoke, feeling as if he'd nearly drowned, with jagged breaths and sharp pain in his chest. All he could see was the dark contours of the forest growing high above him. The trees were leaning over him. Cornering him. Speaking to him. In a way, it felt like the voices were crawling into his mind - forcing him to listen. It hurt. 

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his father's amulet and held it tight. He wished for the voices to go away - he didn't want to hear them. They didn't even speak in words, just hums and mutters and shrieking. Whatever emotion they held was strong, powerful, unlike anything else. He didn't want to know what it was or what caused it because the pain of the sounds was already too heavy to bear. 

It was empty around him - where the others had been sleeping lay only leaves. There were ropes on the ground where the horses had been standing. Beside him, where he was certain that he'd put his sword, was nothing. The only thing left was the remainders of their tiny campfire. It was still smoking a little but no heat, nor light, was coming from it.

Taking in the situation, he stood up. The woods around him didn't make any noises. Everything felt... dead. "No, no, no! Iona! Arman!" he shouted, hoping to get a reaction from something at least. "Foldo! Jussipo!"

A thick fog prevented him from seeing beyond the closest trees and it seemed to be creeping closer. He got the strangest feeling that it was coming for him. Every step he took away from it, it countered with two steps towards him. It moved around him like a beast around its cornered prey. From somewhere, or everywhere, someone was calling for him. It was a woman's voice but it was darker and deeper than any he'd heard before.

" _Tiuri_..."

The fog slowly started to take the form of something human. It changed over and over until it settled for the figure of an older woman. No sharp or distinct features, just a form. Soon, it was right in front of him, so close that he could reach out with his hand and touch it, had he wanted to. The disoriented singing of the voices echoed around him. Tiuri wanted to shut down, to cover his ears and fall through the earth, just to get rid of it all. For a short while, the fog remained where it was, not making any new moves. Then, when he thought that the time had finally stopped and that it all would end, it reached for him. As a reflex, he shut his eyes just as it was about to touch him.

" _Tiu_ -"

"-ri, Tiuri?" The voice of Foldo brought him back to reality. The other boy was crouching over him - looking just about horrified. "Thank goodness, are you alright?"

"I'm... okay." As Foldo let out the breath he was holding and retreated back a little, Tiuri sat up. When he looked around him everything was the way it was before he'd gone to sleep. The warm light coming from the fire nearby made him relax and realise that it had been something akin to a dream. The lasting coldness inside him made him wonder, though, how unreal it really had been. Something within him made him convinced that the fog of voices hadn't left yet. 

"Bad dreams, huh?" Tiuri nodded. "I can imagine, I haven't gotten any real sleep myself, either."

"Foldo, why did you choose to follow me when I left the chapel?"

The question surprised the other novice, but the taken aback expression was soon replaced by a small, sorrowful smile. "I suppose it seemed right, it felt wrong to just let anyone go like that. I mean, who knows what would've happened if you'd gone all alone?"

" _We wrecked the vigil truly, the knight he died in fury,_ " Jussipo sang.

The morning had come for them, and it still hadn't gone away. Everyone - save for Jussipo - was as tired as one could be, empty of energy and enthusiasm. Foldo had woken them up early when he'd heard the sound of horses and riders not too far away from them. Whether it was the Red Rider or not didn't matter, they got up and rode away either way. 

When Jussipo had brought out his lute, though, there had been a choir of groans from the group. He wasn't necessarily a bad singer, per se, but an hour or two of the same chords and lyrics made one tired. 

"Shut up!" Arman was the first to complain loudly in any other form than groans and sighs. 

" _And so a letter we deliver to the crown_..."

"For the love of God..." It was Arman again.

" _His men did love him truly. Jussipo was such a beauty_ -"

"That's it!"

" _The one they called Jussipo was their king._ "

Arman rode back and grabbed the lute right from Jussipo's hands. It happened too fast. "Arman!" Jussipo shouted but before he could do anything, the boy had thrown the lute far into the shrubbery. "That's a _nine-crown_ lute!" 

"I told you to shut up."

"So what?"

"So, my father has the highest rank out of all of our parents, and that means that I'm in charge."

They all reacted at that - no one had agreed to Arman taking the lead. Iona turned around, a frown on her face. "No, it doesn't."

"Who asked you, toad-snot?"

Arman brushed her off and started riding past her. As retaliation, Iona sent his horse running. She'd had just about enough of his cocky attitude and constant mention of his father. The others couldn't help but snicker at how he shrieked for help. 

Tiuri excused himself and started riding after Arman. "I'll follow him, make sure he doesn't wound up too far away," he said, still grinning.

"If that oaf's put so much as _one_ dent in it, he's paying for a new one." 

While Jussipo hopped off his horse and went into the bushes to search for his beloved instrument, Foldo spoke up. He smiles slightly, finding whatever he was going to say somewhat amusing. "Funnily enough... of course, it couldn't... It couldn't matter less, least of all to me, but I actually believe in purely technical terms-"

"Do you ever, actually finish a sentence?" Iona looked at him in a way that should have told him to shut up.

He deflated a bit. Any ounce of confidence he'd had when speaking just seconds before was gone. Perhaps it was stupid, thinking that he'd get a word in with the others. "Right. Um... My point being that-"

"No worry. It's fine. Panic's over."

Jussipo returned looking most relieved. At this point, Foldo didn't even try to continue what he was saying. He sighed, inwardly. _These problems shouldn't go out over the others_ , he thought, _it'll go well the next time_. No matter what he told himself to feel better about it, though, he just couldn't help but feel so unappreciated.

His concentration returned to the boy before him who'd now started strumming on the runaway lute. For a second the boy froze, then he turned to the others. "Actually... It sounds a little better."

Foldo smiled at that. How Jussipo lit up as he strummed it again was a sight to see. The spirit and passion that he radiated were enough for a lifetime. A beaming smile to write poetry about. " _Sounds a little better_..."

"Stop. Singing. Jussipo." There it was again. Iona was unquestionably going kill every good mood there was in the world given the opportunity. "How are we gonna outride the Red Riders and reach Unauwen in time if they can hear us from a mile away? We're working here."

One last strum of the lute and Iona readied her horse for riding after the others. "I can't take any more of this pig swill."

"Fine!" Jussipo shouted as she left them alone. "It's your loss, Iona."

"I don't sing that bad, do I, Foldo?"

"No. No, you don't."

"It's not a complicated point I'm making. What I'm saying is the richest knights, the most famous knights, aren't necessarily the best knights." 

It'd been another hour or two at this point. Iona and the others were a bit ahead of them but not too far. 

"They're just the knights that work hardest at getting their stories out. That's all I'm doing... with this song. I'm not waiting 100 years for some toothless bard to immortalize me-"

Their conversation was cut short by the signal they'd decided would be for danger. Foldo and Jussipo hopped off their horses, drew their swords, and went towards the call. Iona was way ahead of them, being right on the tail of whoever it was that had been following them. As they caught up, Foldo tried throwing a dagger but just missed the person. It wasn't until Arman hit them with a crossbow bolt that they fell down and the novices were able to cut them off. Or, well, cut _him_ off.

As Jussipo saw who it was he stopped right in his tracks. " _What_?" 

His little brother, Piak, stood before him. The bastard didn't even look concerned - more like excited. "You really scared the bejesus out of me. Almost poo'd be britches."

"What are you doing here?" It wasn't even really a question - Jussipo could've just as well said: "Get out of here."

"What do you think I'm doing here? No way I'm missing out on this!" He said it as if they were going to the carnival in Eldmar. As if this whole thing was just a fun trip over the mountain range. 

"Your brother followed us from Dagonaut?" Foldo wondered. 

"Made it in half a day. You guys left a trail a mile wide. But man, you are good. Like real knights. That dagger throw, Foldo!" Piak whistled as if the verbal praise wasn't enough. "What was that, like 40 yards? And, Arman, great crossbow work, big guy. Almost took me ear off. Tiuri! It was awesome, that menacing aura! And Iona... God's bones! You are quick. I mean wolf-quick. Every move I made, you were totally on me-"

"Why are you still talking?" Jussipo was mad. Not just big-brother-to-little-brother mad, he was really mad. Could Piak really be this dumb? Following them into nowhere and expecting to come with on a dangerous quest that would, no doubt, be the cause of someone's early funeral. "Why is any sound coming out of your mouth at all?"

"I was kinda good on the crossbow-" 

"Oh, shut up," Iona cut Arman off.

Jussipo grabbed Piak's shirt and started dragging him towards the horses. "You're in so much trouble."

"What are you doing?" 

"Putting you on your horse. You're going home."

Piak halted them, did his best to get loose. "No, wait."

"No. I'm not discussing this!" 

They hadn't seen Jussipo like this before. His brother had always been in the background - cheering at the games or playing on the training grounds. Iona didn't make any point of stepping in. Arman didn't care. Foldo knew that Jussipo didn't always get along with his little brother, though, as they fought quite often. Both he and Tiuri were sceptical of the way Jussipo was handling this.

"Really?" Foldo interrupted. Normally Jussipo would have ideas that were reasonably wise. This - this was just pure idiocy, though. The anger obviously prevented him from properly thinking things through. 

Jussipo spun back toward him, almost ready to direct the anger toward Foldo if needed. "Really what?"

Ignoring the way Jussipo was staring him down as if any more resistance would lead to battle, Foldo continued: "Sending him back through those woods, alone? He's just a ten-year-old boy."

Piak insisted that he was almost eleven but it was drowned out by Iona's voice. "Is this a quest we're on, or Madam Twanky's Sunday School?"

Foldo almost cursed. These people - what were they thinking? "Anything could happen out there," he pressed on. There was no way that he'd let a little boy just travel through the forest alone like that. Especially Piak. Sure, Jussipo was his best friend, but Foldo had grown up with Piak as well. He was sure that even Jussipo knew what a bad idea all of this was - that he'd regret it afterwards.

"Good." Jussipo didn't act like he knew that, though.

"Foldo's got a point though, Jussipo. It's dangerous. We even have the Red Riders after us," Tiuri cut in. Foldo sent a quick nod his way as an appreciation of the support. Convincing an angry Jussipo proved to be hard. 

"Yeah, what if I go and die? Mum would kill you."

"Be better if he died. You'd just slow us down." Iona was as cold as ever. 

"I'm faster than Jussipo. I beat him every time we race around the abbey," Piak answered her. He was seemingly undisturbed by her comment. 

"You do not."

"And I sing better too. Mother says his voice sounds like a cat in a bag"

At that point, Jussipo once again grabbed a hold of his brother. "Go, Piak."

"Please, please, Jussipo! I'll make this work, think about it! Real knights have squires, right?"

Piak continued, listing everything he could help with, and repeated the word please enough times for Jussipo to never want to hear it again. A part of Jussipo wanted to just place the boy on a horse and make him leave his sight. When he looked up and found Foldo looking right at him, stern yet almost pleading him to do the right thing, Jussipo would have to rethink this. 

His mother _would_ kill him if she found out that he'd let Piak roam the woods all alone. Piak _would_ probably find some way to get in deep trouble if he was left alone for more than a day. Once again he looked up at Foldo. Their eyes met and Foldo's expression softened, Jussipo felt something shifting within him. He tore his eyes away from the older boy and with a frustrated sigh, he let his kid brother go. _Ugh. Brothers._

Piak's response was, of course, to hurray in success while Jussipo turned around and started walking toward the horses. He could hear Foldo hurrying after him, humming on the song that Jussipo had played earlier. There was a spring in his step and his grin of satisfaction was obviously hard to contain. It was cute, in a way.

"Stop doing that." 

Jussipo immediately felt bad for what he'd said as Foldo quieted down and his grin dropped. It didn't seem to offend him, though, as a smile remained on his lips. "Sorry."

They walked in silence for a while but any sense of peace was soon destroyed by Iona's shouting. "If you hurry up, we might reach Mistrinaut by tomorrow noon!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have a few ideas of what I want to do with this fic, but I'm still trying to work out the details and a few major plot-thingies - do you have any thoughts or ideas? Especially on how to make Tiuri fit in the group better. I'm open to almost anything :)


	3. No Place Like Mistrinaut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jussipo has a vendetta against Mistrinaut.

They didn’t reach Mistrinaut for another two days. The air between them was tense. Mostly, they rode in silence, but otherwise, the bickering was constant. Iona had given up on the rest of them long ago and was constantly in the front - unsuccessfully ignoring the rest of them. Arman and Tiuri weren’t far behind her. Jussipo had been forced to stay even further back. He claimed that it was so that they wouldn’t bother his creative spirit as he worked on his masterpieces but that was only an excuse to not be offended by them. 

The tension showed how little they knew of each other and no one had so far made any attempts to change it. Piak was to closest to even trying. He jumped around, not necessarily aiming to but still succeeding in, bothering just about anyone and anything. 

At some point, Arman had exclaimed something along the lines of him being a crossbreed between a fly and a phoenix - “annoying as hell and refuses to die” as he phrased it. Piak had, obviously, taking it as a compliment and refused to back down because of it. He was bubbling with energy.

Tiuri, on the other hand, looked like he hadn't slept a second since they left the chapel and his mood only proved that theory. He wasn’t very talkative and the fact that he’d so far snapped at Arman more times than Iona was definitely saying something. 

No one wanted to admit it but they were slowly falling apart. A team founded on a whim with no food wasn’t going to last. The only ones who got along were Foldo and Jussipo - but they were friends from before. 

“So, _Arman_ , I heard your father will have something to say about this,” Piak once again tried to get a conversation going. He was dying for ~~some attention~~ something to happen. When he’d followed them into the woods he’d been expecting adventure and excitement. By now, he was beginning to believe that he’d gotten _way_ less than what he’d bargained for. “Any thoughts on that?”

Arman only grunted. It seemed like the only way to get Piak to not bother him at this point.

“Oh, I see.” Piak turned to Tiuri. Perhaps the grumpier of the two would give him some sort of reaction. “How about you? Barely making it through the tournament and then abandoning the vigil, what’s the Ol’ Tiuri thinking, you reckon?”

The boy only shook his head but Arman decided to answer it for him. “Probably that he shouldn’t even have been in the games, to begin with!” he snarled.

Now even Tiuri spoke. “It wasn’t like I asked to be in them, do you think that I don’t know that I’m not worthy?” 

Piak realised that perhaps he’d been a bit… not cautious. It _was_ more words coming from them now than the whole morning so technically he _had_ been victorious. It didn’t quite feel like a victory, though. The two boys looked at each other with such intensity that Piak worried that one of them might burst up in flames. 

“Why’d you not give up your spot, then?” 

Yes. This had been a bad idea. Perhaps he should learn to shut his mouth and endure the boring silence? Piak decided for himself that he was not the one responsible for this mess, though. He wondered whether they’d notice him if he slowly backed away from them. 

The answer was no. 

“What, you think I had any-”

A huge groan was heard from ahead of them. “Everyone, _shut up_!” 

Despite wanting to continue their arguing, they immediately quieted down and directed their attention to Iona. She looked ready to pull her hair out and if the light hit her the right way Piak could swear that he saw a couple of grey strands. 

“What?” Arman asked her, anger still dripping in his voice. 

She raised her eyebrows in a “duh” kind of way and then proceeded to gesture in front of her with her arm. “We’re here.”

Mistrinaut was by far the most depressing town Jussipo had seen so far. Most villages at least had the illusion of life to them. Not that he was particularly experienced when it came to any other places than the City of Dagonaut. 

If there was anything he was certain about, though, it was that he’d never move to Mistrinaut. The place was dirty. Not just the streets covered in grime and the smell that seemed to corrode his nostrils. It was the people as well. The beggars looking just about dead and the thieves sneaking around the corners and alleys. The bounty hunters eyeing them mysteriously and the scoundrels sneering at the sight of their group. 

He concluded that if there was any place that he’d avoid singing about it was this sorry excuse of a town. They’d just go in to get something to eat, then they would be out of there. Nothing special about a place like this. 

“Are you okay?” Foldo asked him as they dismounted their horses in front of a building in the main part of town. 

Jussipo turned to him and forced a smile. He could imagine that result was more of a grimace, though. “Just peachy.”

The blonde raised his eyebrows. “If you say so.”

Of course, he didn’t believe Jussipo one bit. They’d known each other since they were little, by now they could easily tell when one of them was uneasy. Jussipo knew that just as he felt uncomfortable, so did Foldo. The way he stiffened his shoulders and rather looked at the ground than anywhere else was only the most obvious of signs. He tried to hide his discomfort, but Jussipo knew his tells. 

“Relax,” he told Foldo. “We’ll be out of here in no-time.”

They left their horses just outside of a tavern - the White Hart Tavern to be precise. Beside the door lay a drunk, asleep, and from the inside, they could hear nothing. _That’s odd_ , he thought, _we should be hearing cheers and music_. He’d only been to a couple of taverns back home but they were the liveliest places he’d been to. The inspiration to write songs of his adventures had come from the bards of Dagonauts taverns. That this place was so quiet was unsettling.

As they entered a series of shady looks were sent their way. Immediately Jussipo decided he’d rather not eat here. If it was the way all attention was reserved for the newcomers or how everyone in the room looked like they would skin them alive, he couldn’t tell. All he knew was that they could starve for the rest of the journey for all he cared - as long as they didn’t have to eat in Mistrinaut. Everything about the whole place was just off. 

Tiuri took the lead. He’d apparently sobered up from his grumpiness as he approached the bar. “Good morning,” he greeted the barkeeper with a smile. “We were wondering whether you served food - at all.”

The long-haired man looked him up and down with creased eyebrows. He didn’t say anything. Jussipo mentally facepalmed. This was not going smoothly. 

It didn’t get better when Arman shoved his way through the little crowd of children. “Morning, barkeep. We want food - I can pay.” He held up a coin to empathise his statement. Had Jussipo not been to busy with keeping out of reach from the tavern regulars he would have groaned at how the boy handled it.

This time it looked like the man might’ve replied but Iona beat him to it. She sent Arman a glare before plastering on a friendly smile. “Five jars of mead, please.”

The man nodded. _Good_ , Jussipo thought, _this might be going somewhere_. How he wanted to run out of here, though. _At least it’s only mead_.

Foldo looked sceptical. “Oh, I’m not allowed to drink mead. Mother said–” 

“I’ll have his!” Piak volunteered with a raised hand. Jussipo would have to scold him for that later. There was no way he would let that rascal have alcohol.

“My apologies for the idiots,” Iona spoke again. She shot them glares sharp enough to cut diamonds. “Mead all round.”

Finally, the barkeep spoke. “You want stew?”

Jussipo’s eyes widened. No, no, no. This was getting out of hand. He was certain that eating here would only lead to food poisoning. As if to confirm his theories, a man to the left of them vomited right down on the floor. Yeah, no stew.

He took a step forward. “Uh, maybe we’ll pass on the stew,” he tried and truly did his best to not sound like he was on the brink of throwing up himself. 

“Yes, on the stew. Six, please.” 

Iona had given the barkeep the money before Jussipo even had time to complain and soon the man had already gone to fetch their order. “Will you lot shut up and let me handle this? You’ll get us all killed.”

“Only thing that’ll kill us here is that stew,” Jussipo countered her. He was _not_ eating that thing.

“It’s just food, Jussipo. You’re not skipping out on this meal.”

“You can’t force me.”

“Guys, calm down. Let’s just eat and then be on our way.” Tiuri tried stepping in between the two. He was on the brink of anger again. Maybe it wasn’t only a lack of sleep that’d kept him grumpy all day. “Can’t you do this later?”

“Exactly. We eat and then you can bicker like a couple afterwards,” Arman added. Both Iona and Jussipo turned to him with disgusted faces. Piak gave them a loud _eww_ in the background.

“Are you suggesting–” Iona looked ready to throw him off a cliff. 

“Why would I ever–” Jussipo was more personally offended. 

“Oh, look, the food’s here!” Foldo suddenly exclaimed and for a moment all anger was forgotten.

When they realised that none of the available tables was big enough for all of them, they’d gladly split up. Iona and Jussipo had been shooting daggers at Arman as he went to sit down with Piak. 

“How was I supposed to know that they couldn’t take a joke?” Arman sighed.

Piak grinned at him. “It was brilliant, though! Stopping those two from fighting each other by directing their ill-intent towards you.”

The enthusiasm was only partially lost on Arman. “It was kind of brilliant, yeah.” 

“You don’t seriously believe that they’re… you know…” Piak didn’t finish his sentence but his disgusted face and shudder was explanation enough. 

Arman nearly spat out his drink. “Gods no! If they were I’d feel sorry for your brother.”

“So, what next?” Tiuri asked as Iona downed the last of her mead. 

She frowned and thought for a while. “I don’t know. I kind of expected there to be a bar fight or something by now.”

“Well, you could always start one?”

“Not what I meant,” she chuckled at that. Not sneered or scoffed like usual,  _ actually _ chuckled. “We’ll need supplies.”

Tiuri nodded. “Do we even have the money for that?”

“Not really.” She was back to a bitter expression. 

There was a silence between them now. Iona looked down into her mug that by now was mostly empty. Tiuri leaned back and sighed. He was at a loss. He was supposed to be a knight - or at least a novice - yet the world hardly left him any other options than doing things the less noble way. 

Who was he kidding? Of course, he did have a choice - they all did - it was just a matter of how willing they were to suffer for doing the right thing. The question they had to ask themselves was how far they were willing to go to deliver that letter before the blood moon. 

They wouldn’t be able to do it if they were travelling on an empty stomach. 

They didn’t have the money for food. 

Solution: steal. 

Before he knew it, Tiuri was out on the streets with the others again. He had to suppress the part of him that wanted to object and say how wrong it was. It felt horrible. The fact that he hadn’t been getting much sleep only added to the problem. Every night since they left the chapel he had that nightmare. The voices, the fog, the figure. They haunted him and by now he didn’t even want to go to sleep at night. It was nearly the same every night, the only thing that changed was the location. 

Foldo and Jussipo were tasked to stay and watch the horses. Arman and Piak went their own way. Tiuri was to go with Iona. He didn’t mind. The two of them didn’t necessarily get along but it was better than being stuck with Arman. Or even worse, Iona being stuck with Arman. 

Tiuri didn’t get what it was that made the boy so unbearable. If you looked past the bullying and constant “my father”-ing he should have been an acceptable person but no, Arman still managed to be a prick. Maybe there should be a prize for that because Tiuri wasn’t sure how it even was possible. 

He sighed and shook away his thoughts as he and Iona neared a small market. Something was going to go wrong, he could already feel it, but he trusted Iona to manage that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! I hope you like it so far...
> 
> I'm sorry that I took so long, but there's a lot going on and sometimes it's hard to find time and energy to write. By now, I'm sort of starting to figure out my own plot and I believe that it'll stray a bit from the series' but it is an AU so that's to be expected... 
> 
> Next chapter *should* be finished and up soon - no promises, though.


End file.
